Singing CWAers Spell Out Demand for J-O-B-S at Iowa City Rally

Protesters, including John Potash of CWA Local 7103 (center), chant as they march through downtown Iowa City during a rally urging job creation and tax reform for large corporations on Friday, Oct. 7, 2011. (Copyright Liz Martin/SourceMedia Group News)

Merging classic disco with the fight for good jobs, District 7 CWA members attending training in Iowa made a big splash at a rally last Friday with their J-O-B-S version of the Village People's "YMCA."

The CWA troupe performed on downtown Iowa City's pedestrian mall, where they marched from their dormitory at the University of Iowa. The march and rally capped a week of leadership training at the university's Labor Center for 42 CWA members from eight states.

As part of their coursework, the CWAers planned the rally and networked with Iowa Labor Federation, the Iowa Citizen Action Network and other allies. After the downtown mall, they demonstrated in front of a Wells Fargo bank and then at one of the nearly 70,000 U.S. bridges that need repair — projects that could create immediate jobs.

District 7 CWAers attending a leadership school in Iowa City last week worked with local allies to plan a march and rally for jobs. As part of the Friday event, CWAers broke into song, calling for "J-O-B-S" to the tune of "YMCA." Watch it on You Tube.